Praying with Power

Praying with perseverance means to not give up on your prayers.   

 

 

Luke 18:1 (AMPC)

18 Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).

Do you believe in the power of prayer? 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMPC)

17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly.

Did you pray today?  

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

We are to pray at intervals throughout the day. 

Mark 1:35 (NKJV)

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He (Jesus) went out and departed to a solitary place (no distractions); and there He prayed.

Jesus prayed.  

He knew that He needed it.  

If Jesus needed to pray, we need it, too. 

We want to be like Jesus.  

If you want the results that Jesus had, we must follow His example in prayer. 

A part of praying is talking to the Father, but another part is listening to Him.  

If Jesus prayed, so can we.  

Jesus needed direction.

After Jesus had emptied Himself (Philippians 2:5-8), He had to hear from God, His Father.

A of lot times I'll get things in the morning before I'm fully awake.  

God talks to our spirits before our heads kick in.  

Our thoughts can drown out hearing from God. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

We are to use our minds, but we are not to be lead by them.  

We are to be lead by the Spirit of God. 

Luke 6:12  (NKJV)

12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

They had no electricity; however, most people probably made their way to bed at twilight.  

Jesus prayed through the night that night.

  

Since Jesus was the Son of God, why did He need to pray all night that night?

It's not because He had to beg God, the Father, to answer a request.  

It is because of where we are.  We are on a spiritually dark, fallen world. 

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The enemy will try to hinder God's message to us.  

If we don't give up and quit, God will speak to us.  

Pray and don't stop.  

Pray without ceasing.  

Pray with all kinds of prayers.  

It's not about how long you pray.  

It's about not giving up until you've heard from God. 

Luke 6:13 (NKJV)

13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

Jesus had to hear from God, His Father.

Jesus was picking His twelve apostles the next day.  

When you get in the Spirit, time passes.

  

You get caught up.  

You get more aware of God and His presence, and forget about earthly things.  

It may seem like 5 minutes, and you look at your watch, and it's been two hours.

If the length of time is a struggle, you're praying in the flesh and not in the belief that God answers prayer.

Hebrews 4:16  (NKJV)

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When the sun came up, Jesus knew what to do.  

He knew what, how, and when.

  

Why do so many Christians not know God's will?  

It's because they don't know how to pray with the Holy Spirit's help. 

If we seek God in prayer and not give up until we get direction, we will hear from God.  

We can know what we need to know.  

Not knowing is like torment.  

We must not casually attempt to pray. 

Praying in faith is believing that when you ask God for direction.  

He'll answer.  

James 1:5,6  (NKJV)

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Don't be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  

We must learn to pray in faith believing that God will tell us where to go and what to do.  

1 John 2:20  (NKJV)

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 

We must pray in faith while being lead by His Holy Spirit who teaches us how to pray.

Hearing from God is a thought that you realize has come from God. 

God's Spirit speaks to your spirit telling you how to pray (Romans 8:26).

1 Corinthians 2:10 (NKJV)

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Stay in prayer until you find out how, what, when, and with whom. 

You can know that it came from God if it lines up with Scripture.  

James 5:13 (NKJV)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

This verse in James doesn't talk about asking other people to pray for you here.  

You need to pray for you, so you can hear from God.  

You can't put your prayers life off on somebody else.  

Some things are so personal.  Only you can pray them.  

If you are able to pray for you, why not do it as it is written here? 

God will not give answers to others for some things because they are too personal.  

James 5 (NKJV)

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

(NKJV)

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

If you can't overcome a besetting sin, reach out to the spiritually mature for prayer. 

If you're in bad shape and are too sick to  pray for yourself,  call for help. 

 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

A person who is right with God can control the elements of nature in prayer like Elijah. 

Talking to God and believing that He will answer, makes all the difference. 

James 5:16 B  (AMPC)

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. 

  

1. Prayer makes available tremendous knowledge.

2. Prayer makes available tremendous power.

Keith Moore, Faith Life Church

https://flcmedia.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/productvideo/0331-AlwaysPray-01-MenShouldAlwaysPray-HD.mp4